Protect Your Home Without Firearms

No one wants to think about an armed or unarmed intruder entering their home. However, according to the US Department of Justice, between 2003 and 2007, more than 3.7 million burglaries occurred every single year on average. More than a million burglaries took place while the homeowner or some other individual was present. In more than 266,000 of these cases, the person who was at home during the burglary became a victim of a violent crime.

The aftermath of the home invasion left the victims traumatized. They were physically injured, emotionally injured, and no longer felt safe in their own home.

When reports of home invasions hit the news waves, it causes some people to run to a local gun shop and purchase a firearm to protect their home. However, there are some states where in certain circumstances it is illegal for you to have a firearm in your possession. Other people for reasons of conscience opt not to purchase firearms for self-defense.

The question becomes, how can these individuals who either are prohibited from or choose not to use a gun to defend their homes protect themselves against an intruder? The following are a few tips that you can use for defending your home even if you do not have a gun.

Get a Dog

Dogs have long been considered man’s best friend. They are loyal, friendly, and seem to only want to please their owners.

Dogs also have a keen sense of sight and smell. It is estimated that a dog has a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more sensitive than humans, and they have a hearing range that is four times that of humans. Couple that with a superior sense of vision that allows them to accurately identify objects in low light and it is clear to see that a dog is a powerful early warning system.

When a dog senses that an intruder has entered onto your property, they are going to start to bark vigorously to alert you. Whether it is a small Chihuahua or a large Rottweiler, the incessant barking of a dog will wake even the deepest sleeper.

Some people mistakenly think that they need a large Doberman or a pit bull to protect their property. And while it is true that a larger dog may be trained to be an attack dog, smaller dogs make excellent guard dogs. The aforementioned Chihuahua is known for its ability to sound a loud and penetrating alarm. This breed is hypersensitive, brave, and has a strong desire to protect its pack.

If your dog does sound the alarm and there is an intruder in your home, you need to take immediate action. Call 911, and if possible, escape from your home. If escape is not possible, find a blunt object and hide somewhere until the police arrive.

Purchase a Home Security System

Installing surveillance cameras, a security system, motion detectors, and alarms is one of the best ways to protect your property whether you are home or if you are away. Cameras placed in strategic locations enhance your security, especially when they are visible to intruders. The last thing that an intruder wants is to have their image recorded or transmitted to law enforcement agents.

So most intruders will think twice before breaking into a home that has a security camera.

The same thing is true for alarm systems. Burglars want to get in and get out without being noticed. If they see that your home has an alarm, they’re going to think twice before breaking in. And if the burglar is foolish enough or desperate enough to break into your home, a security system that is monitored will alert law enforcement, so you will know that help is on the way.

Get a Bat

If you need to defend yourself, it is good to have a blunt object, like a bat or a medium-sized stick. You want to avoid objects that are very long or thin, such as a post staff or kendo sword. Long objects, especially if you are not trained to use them, will make it difficult for you if the attacker gets up close to you. It is also difficult to maneuver a long striking object in a confined space, like a bedroom or an apartment.

You want to avoid using edged weapons, like machetes, knives, and katana blades, as these can quickly be turned against you, you can accidentally hurt yourself, or you could unintentionally fatally strike another person. Edged weapons should not be used by people who do not have formal training.

You do not want a stick or a bat that is too short. If it is too short, your attacker will be able to get close to you before you can strike them, and this is also dangerous. You want something that allows you to strike from a decent distance without causing you to lose your balance.

Make Your Home a Fort

Most burglars have tools that make it easy for them to break into the average home. So you need to turn your average home into a fort by fortifying the perimeter. You want your home to be as unappealing to thieves as it can possibly be. You can do this by installing floodlights over every entrance. Connect them to motion sensors so that they activate when someone comes near your property. All of your doors and windows should be locked at all times.

Since it is unlikely that you will be able to build a 20 foot wide 50-foot deep moat with crocodiles and bridges, you’re going to have to use other barriers to make it difficult for people to get into your home. For example, planting rose bushes around your home along with fencing makes crawling through your windows a difficult and painful ordeal for burglars.

If you have low-grade locks, replace them with higher grade ones. If you have a short fence, raise it high enough so that it will be a challenge for even the most skilled parkour-trained thief to hop over. If the security conditions in your neighborhood calls for it, do not be afraid to use barbed wire and metal bars on your windows and doors.

Pepper Spray

Pepper spray has been a popular option for self-defense since the middle part of the 1990’s. When it is sprayed at a person, it irritates their respiration system, it burns their eyes, and it affects their skin. It can lead to the constriction of the trachea, making the person sprayed by pepper spray feel like they are choking and start to panic. In some cases, it can lead to a temporary loss of strength and coordination, since it reduces the intake of oxygen and leads to uncontrollable gagging and gasping for air.

When a person is sprayed with pepper spray, they may begin to twitch involuntarily and their eyes may begin to swell. Their vision starts to blur, and their eyes become full of tears. The effects of pepper spray can last for up to 45 minutes.

That being said, the effects of pepper spray are not the same on everyone. Some people are affected than others. Pepper spray is not considered a form of self-protection, but it is a diversionary tool. So if someone breaks into your home and you will use a pepper spray, it should give you a few seconds to escape and hopefully contact law enforcement.

To be effective, you will need to have the pepper spray canister on you at all times, and you want a dummy proof canister that is designed to spray only when it is away from you. Any form of self-defense, including pepper spray, requires that you have it ready for the assault.

Conclusion

No one of these methods of protecting your home without a gun should be considered to be the only method you use. The best way for you to protect your property is to use a multi-pronged attack. A home security system is a good way to deter a thief from breaking into your home. If they do break into your home, it sounds an alarm that alerts you, alerts the neighbors, and alerts law enforcement.
Fortify your home so that it is difficult for thieves to break in. If it takes longer to pick an industrial lock or to get through a solid door, it is more likely that the thief is going to be discovered and reported to law enforcement.

The most effective way of defending yourself and your home is to be aware. You need to have a realistic idea of what happens when someone invades your home and have a plan laid out for how you will respond. Do not rely simply on one form of personal protection or security. The more diverse your security plan is, the better chance you have of keeping your home and your family safe.

Authors Bio:

Thomas Palmer is an enthusiast, researcher, and businessman in the field of home technology. As the owner of a home security business, he knows exactly what homeowners desire in order to keep themselves protected at all times. Read more of his works on – Property Guard Master!

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